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OT:500 MW Sterling Engine

I wonder what the reliability of one those stirlings is? I hope it doesn't end up like a lot of the motionless wind turbines they've got in California. A technology worth trying at any rate. Should be some good work for machinists. I'm betting that nanosolar photovoltaics will prove the winning technology though.

Greg C.
 
“At a time of rising fossil-fuel costs and increased concern about greenhouse-gas emissions, the Stirling project would provide enough clean power to serve 278,000 homes for an entire year,”


Why do they always say " For an entire year" ?

Isn't it, 278 000 homes, constantly, for the life of the system? Or would 500MW be produced daily?, so everyday they would make enough power for 278 000 per year?

maybe they only expect it to work for a year?


Anyhow, seems like a fun project, any ways to use renewable energy is worth exploring.
 
So for a city the size of LA you would need how much space? How many homes in LA? SWAG 7,000,000 houses not counting commercial buildings? So 177 square miles of land to support LA? So thats an area 13.3 miles square. Shoot, they could just carve an area right out of the middle. I don't think anyone would mind taking out a 13.3 mile square of east LA.
 
that means that they are not all that cheap. I recall the very interesting project of turning turkey guts into oil in the midwest somewhere, big project, but the articals dance all around costs especially a simple cost per gallon. of course the other benifits liek getting rid of millions of pounds of guts have to be figured in.
 








 
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